The nation’s top federal election official told Sen. John McCain yesterday that he cannot immediately withdraw from the presidential public financing system as he had requested, a decision that threatens to dramatically restrict his spending until the general election campaign begins in the fall.

The prospect of being financially hamstrung by the very fundraising system he helped create is the latest in a series of bitter challenges for the presumed GOP nominee, who still faces a fractured conservative coalition as he assumes the mantle of party leadership.

The WaPost clearly hasn’t gotten the memo that the coalition is no longer fractured and they’ve rallied around St. McCain because of liberal media said mean things about him.

The implications of that could be dramatic. Last year, when McCain’s campaign was starved for cash, he applied to join the financing system to gain access to millions of dollars in federal matching money. He was also permitted to use his FEC certification to bypass the time-consuming process of gathering signatures to get his name on the ballot in several states, including Ohio.

By signing up for matching money, McCain agreed to adhere to strict state-by-state spending limits and an overall limit on spending of $54 million for the primary season, which lasts until the party’s nominating convention in September. The general election has a separate public financing arrangement.

But after McCain won a series of early contests and the campaign found its financial footing, his lawyer wrote to the FEC requesting to back out of the program — which is permitted for candidates who have not yet received any federal money and who have not used the promise of federal funding as collateral for borrowing money.

Getting your lawyer to weasel you out of an agreement? What a Maverick!

105 Responses
to “McCain Pwned By FEC”

Whether or not the FEC successfully enforces this, I’m just glad it hit in a way to expose his underhanded financial dealings and reinforce the (true) story of his grubbing for money from lobbyists. Goodbye, Straight Talk Express!

not an issue to me, if he hasn’t recieved the money yet and his financial horizons are better then when he applied, I don’t care if he opts out

though I don’t quite get it, he’s already their candidate and he should use whatever money he’s being promised for the general, I think he’d be smarter to stay within the public system for financing the campaign

so I don’t get why he even wants out of the system unless he’s already spent more then they were going to give him

I also have no problem with him having his lawyer handle the legal aspects of regaining private funding support

One of the things that really struck me watching the “debate” last night (there was a lot more agreeing than debating), was that either Clinton or Obama will rhetorically destroy McCain. Unfortunately, the media is sure to drag things so far into the gutter, that rhetoric on its own will not be sufficient to win.

It’s not insane. For purposes of the financing regs, the general doesn’t begin until after the convention, but for practical purposes, it begins as soon as the nominee is effectively determined (meaning now, for McCain.) If he has to follow public-financing spending limits from now until August, he’ll be so heavily outspent that by the time the legally defined general election campaign it’ll be too late.

Furthermore, contributors can contribute the max amount for the primaries and the general. When you’ve got a smaller number of rich donors, rather than a million small donors, there’s a lot of money you can’t spend in the general, because you have people who are maxed out for both.

Personally, I hope this decision doesn’t stick. I’d rather see as much Republican money wasted on McCain’s campaign as possible. Especially since it will otherwise go to 527s that will be much more actively evil and destructive.

his lawyer wrote to the FEC requesting to back out of the program — which is permitted for candidates who have not yet received any federal money and who have not used the promise of federal funding as collateral for borrowing money.

Hey BT -

I thought that I read somewhere that McCain had used the promise of Fed funds as collateral.

McCain has been sent on a suicide mission, one way ticket as a Dole type
stand-in for the general election… half a tank of gas so he can’t make
it back to the carrier.

——

They are going to need some winning arguments then, and I hope we pick some good people in the primaries – because if 2/3 of turnout of more is Democratic then the Senate and especially the House could get fairly close to veto/fillyBuster proof.

The Dem’s should make sure to force the R’s to fillyBuster now so when they start doing it ever day in 2009 the American people will know whats going on.

this one is beautiful. I especially like the quotes where his lawyer said he was just going to ignore the FEC ruling and either WaPo or NYT quoted former FEC chair saying that mcbushain certainly could not just ignore the ruling — that’s a jailable offense … couldn’t happen to nicer folk.

they’ll prolly just assume IOKIYAR but not clear they’ll get away w/ it this time …

Another corrupt Republican? Quell suprise. Corruption is the mother’s milk of Republican politicians. They play the American public for chumps. Unfortunately many Americans prove themselves to be willing dupes. This time around the chickens are coming home to roost and the Republicans will be cooked. Make no mistake, however, on the first day of a new Democratic administration the right wing talking machine and the MSM will be in attack mode.

Go to a full court press, it won’t take much to make them act out, the
refusal of the Repukes to cooperate on the Intel and Judiciary conference
talks for the FISA bill is just how far gone they already are… they
have a suicide pact, help’em do it.

It’s not insane. For purposes of the financing regs, the general doesn’t begin until after the convention, but for practical purposes, it begins as soon as the nominee is effectively determined (meaning now, for McCain.) If he has to follow public-financing spending limits from now until August, he’ll be so heavily outspent that by the time the legally defined general election campaign it’ll be too late.

I thought that I read somewhere that McCain had used the promise of Fed funds as collateral.

I think they were trying to draw a distinction (where there wasn’t one) between a promise (to repay in one of two ways either with public funds if things went badly or with private funds if things went well) and collateral (on the public funds alone).

The FEC position is he’s committed to spending limits. McCain is asking for a waiver/opt out/exception. There are only 2 FEC members right now and 4 open seats. The FEC can’t grant exceptions until the senate approves more nominees. So until Little Boots sends the names separately, this is a problem for McCain.

In the grand scheme, it was remarkable how gently they prodded each other. I truly enjoyed seeing them shake hands. I am very excited for the nomination to be decided and for either Clinton or Obama to be zealously helping the other (let’s hope!) to smash the Repub candidate.

In the grand scheme, it was remarkable how gently they prodded each other. I truly enjoyed seeing them shake hands. I am very excited for the nomination to be decided and for either Clinton or Obama to be zealously helping the other (let’s hope!) to smash the Repub candidate.

I came up with something great they can both add to their speeches concerningn lobbyists buying law and influence;

Yes. Smash we must. Enough is enough. I (joking here) almost wonder whether she was wearing an earpiece, and got told ‘Uh, you just stepped in major shit wit the Xerox line. Better bring out the magnanimity…’)

Looking on the brighter side. Obama’s palpable momentum ought to have a salutory effect on our Reps in Congress. We are coming to the end-times for the current regime, which has lasted more than a quarter of a century. People are losing their fear of speaking out — and this includes moderate Republicans. The same thing happened in 1988/89 when the walls came down in Eastern Europe. People discovered that a lot of other people secretly felt like them, but like them had been afraid to publicly express their thoughts. The thug machine has ruled by fear. Their greatest success was killing off Max Cleland in 2002. After that few Dems were ready to go head to ahead against the Rove machine.

People are no longer afraid. And when they are not afraid, they are a mighty beast.

He used the Public Financing Money as collateral for a loan prior to the New Hampshire primary. He made the rules and now wants to change them mid-stream. And yes, he is almost at the spending threshold of public financing rules.

Yeh. I suspect that most of that kind of shit is dreamed up by her desperate staffers. If she loses, she is still a Senator; her staffers go back to whatever lives they had before, instead of to DC to feast on power!

Please, all you self-appointed censors out there, this is a snark-free, troll-free post. McCain was shot down over North VietNam on his 23rd bombing mission. Has anyone asked or determined what he bombed in those missions? I’m not just talking about putative targets, but what was actually hit. Those of us who lived through that awful war remember the “collateral damage” term that euphemistically referred to schools, hospitals, and residential areas that our bombs often actually hit. If McCain’s missions did this kind of damage to civilians, what part of hero is left in “war hero?”

I am so glad the R’s indictments and trials will be in full swing during election year. I know Rove desperately tried to get these prosecutions under wraps. Thank god for the sunshine the 2006 elections have shed.

One of the things that really struck me watching the “debate” last night (there was a lot more agreeing than debating), was that either Clinton or Obama will rhetorically destroy McCain. Unfortunately, the media is sure to drag things so far into the gutter, that rhetoric on its own will not be sufficient to win.

Someone else mentioned on another thread [don’t want to do no plagarizin’ here] how much better this debate was with the absence of Tweety, Pumpkin’Head, and all the other MSM “It’s All About Me” Moderators. I certainly think so!!

This will be another example of Shrub’s patented perpetual motion machine: McCain will claim the FEC isn’t a legally constituted body since it’s missing personnel and claim he’s free to ignore its ruling. Bush will slam and ridicule Congress for “not keeping politics honest” by failing to confirmed his hand-picked cronies. By the time America sorts it all out, McCainus will be president, courtesy of gobs of special interest money. Cheney’s not trying to deep six McCain — he’s trying to make sure the Rethugs hold on to power. Then McCain can resign for health reasons a year into his first term and whoever the party hack they’ve selected for VP takes over, with Cheney still pulling the strings.

It lets McCain know he can’t do what he intends to do and asks for clarification on the bank loan, specifically references to matching funds under the section entitled “Collateral Description”. However just as McCain can not withdraw from the public financing system absent a quorum. The FEC can not make a definitive decision or inforce it.

Samantha: All I’m saying, that this is—this is a physical expression that the body was, well, it was designed to experience. And P.S., it’s fabulous.
Charlotte: What are you talking about??? I went to Smith!!

That knee-jerk response is perhaps not as widespread as you might think.

boooshco has unfortunately produced collateral damage in countless arenas and populations on this poor old planet. Lots of folks know that, but many may currently feel intimidated and reluctant to call them out on it in public.

Hang on till Nov. VOTE. Speak out whenever and however in the meantime and into the future. Will do the same here. Deal?

Thanks Douglas for telling the truth about those bombing missions in Vietnam that we now glorify. The Pentagon put out publications that they targeted civilians so they would just give up. Instead, the Vietnamese just got damned mad.

I’d like to add to the hospitals and schools, orphanages that were the target. So many children were left homeless or had only one parent and stayed in orphanages throughout Vietnam. They thought they were safe. The war from the skies did the greatest damage to the villagers.

As for Mr. McCain, he’s lucky I wasn’t one of the women who caught him after he burned the flesh off my children because he would’t be running for president today.

Of interest to me, in addition to whether or not the money was used as collateral, is his use of “entry into public financing” as a means to obtain ballot access (e.g., in Ohio) without the need for petitioning.

In other words, he got a benefit from being signed on to the public funding.

hmmmm… i thot i DID answer it. Did it concern “Sex in the City” character?

I never watch that program. I tried, but I seem allergic to catty people sitting around tables in cities bubbling at eachother. Mebbe it’s ’cause i was raised by wolves, and they lied to me about “life” and whut it’s about. heh.

I did see the movie “The Group” way back in the dark ages. Will that do?

If not, you’ll have to spell it out for me. I’m currently clueless, but will dutifully retrace my steps down the cookie-crumb trail to that thread to see wth i said. Can’t even remember which thread…..

i got 2 grown kids and a very special fella goin’ on 43 yrs.
i know a lil’ sumthin’ ’bout life.

Way back when i was trotting around interviewing at various colleges, some sweet, competitive lil’ thing at a nearby institution burbled, “Oh! You don’t want to go to Smith. They all wear high heels there!”
*snerk*

[edited by mod] John McCain flew bombing missions knowing that there would be “collateral damage” because despite all the talk of pinpoint bombing at the time, our technology was not good enough to be so accurate. There was ample evidence published of the schools, hospitals, and civilian areas that were hit in our bombing attacks. So you see, the point is not that he was ordered to target civilian areas, the point is that knowing that his bombings would inevitabley kill and maim innocent civilians in this tiny third-world country he chose to proceed with his missions. And that’s straight talk.

I apologize for jumping into the fray but, really, WHO on earth would glorify those Vietnam missions?! And WHO on earth would blame the people who were drafted to enter into that horror show? Please aim blame where it’s warranted, at the masterminds of the awful mess, not at those who were called up and who served.